8th Ed. House Ruled Special Rules, list?

I love building special characters, I enjoy seeing what other people comes up with. Whenever I come a across a means to costume make a unit or character I always get excited, like new ideas on how to make your Cowboy work, it doesn't have to be house rule.
I have even had campaigns where in the players did play a mix of roleplaying game and warhammer. They basically started out as swords men and ended up like Chaos Warriors and it was fun! They got hold of a spawning of temple guards and armed them with the best armour and weapons they could get their hands on, which meant a Ws 4 S 7 +2 save on foot But that's beside the point!

House ruling is fun, but how about making a list of rules that actually could be used by other people trying to house rule a character or unit?

And that's when I started this think tank.

The basic concept is that I make a rule, look at its practicalities, like how would it be used, is there already something like this only better and is it fair or would it just be the "BEST RULE EVAARRR" ; then I write down some fluff about it and there you go a rule free to be added to a unit or a character if I come up with something interesting for a friendly campaign.

I would imagine the list for such rules would go a little something like this:

Needs to be somewhat unique

Has to be fair and not just completely overpowered, preferably with some draw backs, like PF.

Some meaning to the rule, like fluff.

Optional: Why it is there could be nice to know, just the thoughts behind the idea.

They of course doesn't have to be perfect or even work beside a few random cases in the game.

Here are a couple of my creations, just to get it started:

Sword counter: When fighting enemies with lower or equal WS, the model gains +6 armour save and ward save, these stacks with any other rule, as long as the unit is using swords specifically, i.e. Great swords (Great weapon), sword (handweapon) or katana/bastard sword (Halberd), although not hand weapon and shield.

In addition whenever a model passes a save against a wound, the model gets an automatic hit against the opponent.

Advanced rule: instead of +6 armour and ward save, the model gets a +5 if the opponent has less Ws than the model with this rule.

Note: This should probably be used with lightly armoured units. Only elites should get this with heavy or better armour.

Superior strike: A model with this special rule may choose to make a superior strike instead of the normal attacks. A superior strike has the always strike last special rule, the strike also has +1 to hit and the killing blow rule.

Advanced rule: The Killing blow is landed at +5, instead of +6, when rolling to wound for the superior strike.

Note: I don't feel this rule is that over powered, assuming the unit does lose something with the always strike last special rule. Furthermore if the model has more than one attack it might not even be worth it, only in some minor scenarios, where it would give an advantage. However the superior strike can actually be a very powerful tool, especially if the model doesn't have extra attacks and it is wielding great weapons or would strike after the opponent anyway.

Thoughts on the concept or my rules so far.... be more than welcome to join in on the fun

Superior strike: A model with this special rule may choose to make a superior strike instead of the normal attacks. A superior strike has the always strike last special rule, the strike also has +1 to hit and the killing blow rule.

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Vampire Counts already have this a vampiric power option. A vampire can forgo all regular attacks for one heroic killing blow attack. It's viewed as the worst vampiric power on the list since vampires have 4 or 5 attacks base and fairly easy upgrades to get more attacks.

I think that would be overpowered on a unit of infantry or cavalry. I think it would be underpoweredon characters with four or five attacks. I think it'd be a balanced for characters with two or three attacks. Might be balanced with Monstrous Infantry but it would seem a little underpowered if anything.

I think that would be overpowered on a unit of infantry or cavalry. I think it would be underpoweredon characters with four or five attacks. I think it'd be a balanced for characters with two or three attacks. Might be balanced with Monstrous Infantry but it would seem a little underpowered if anything.

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I think you're right about how to use it, they way I saw was if you had a unit with multiple attack and fairly high Initiative it might actually be a decent additional option. Say Ws 4 A 2 and I 6 just to make some completely random stats The +1 to hit would be neat, but neat enough to scarifies the option of striking first and one attack, not always and the killingblow is then again 1 out of six. I was hoping that it at least would be a power used occasionally, of course if it were just a general think to add to any superior unit it could quickly become over-the-top-powered

Didn't knew it basically already existed, both concept I came up with for a Samurai inspired unit, but I thought they were house rules that really could be added to any numerous of units. As mentioned, sometimes my friends and I, enjoy just completely building stuff up from the bottom so various of interesting rules are always welcome. Balance is important though, since it would quickly spiral out of control if I didn't kept check on these things.
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Side note:
Shields Should also have better options. What do you guys actually think about them, I mean they are the main secondary choice for pretty much every historical army, you just are so much better off wit a shield, then say, two weapons or a one big sword. I don't really know what, just feel like shields a somewhat neglected?

Side note:
Shields Should also have better options. What do you guys actually think about them, I mean they are the main secondary choice for pretty much every historical army, you just are so much better off wit a shield, then say, two weapons or a one big sword. I don't really know what, just feel like shields a somewhat neglected?

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I don't think you can fix it by changing shield rules. You'd almost have to overhaul the entire core rules.

Strength beats Weapon Skill in 8th edition. You are more likely to overcome toughness and overcome armor. That's why two handed weapons such as great weapons or halberds tend to outperform sword and board in Warhammer.

I used to use foam padded weapons to do medieval combat with friends until it got weird with costumes and stage names. If you are running around in "skirmish" mode, two hand weapons will beat sword and shield if you are fast (your run behind people a lot. The big two handed weapons have the ability to "break" shields with two hits, but they really need someone covering them from counterattacks.

If you are not running around loose, shields become better than the alternatives, especially with archers involved. But 8th edition throws this out the window. If you aren't Wood Elves or an artillery crew, ranged attacks are almost a waste of time. If every army had their basic shooters go down in price across the board, then shields might be more viable.

If you are not running around loose, shields become better than the alternatives, especially with archers involved. But 8th edition throws this out the window. If you aren't Wood Elves or an artillery crew, ranged attacks are almost a waste of time. If every army had their basic shooters go down in price across the board, then shields might be more viable.

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This points up a grievous flaw with Warhammer Fantasy 6-7-8.

Shooting rules are cumbersome for basic shooters and basic shooters are close to pointless.

Imagine a game of Warhammer 8 with the following scenario specific restriction: ALL THE MAGIC THINGS ARE GONE.

No sooper-duper elvish bows

No rune enhanced cannons or anything else

No dragon breath

No warpstone anything

No magic spells

No abilities that are magical

No magical creatures

Do the mundane things that remain --particularly the interaction of shooting and shields-- work or make any sense?

I guess one should not make too much of a fuzz about it, in a game with giant rats, flying dragons and spell casting frogs. It just bugs me quite a bit, that shields are this useless, when in general shields were all over the place in ancient warfare.

I was thinking something simple, like: -1 against opponents with shields, with exception A or in case B....etc.